Szijjarto: EC position on migration "bizarre, shameful"
The European Commission's position on migration -- encouraging tens of thousands of migrants to approach Europe from the south-east and the east -- is "bizarre and shameful", Peter Szijjarto, Hungary's minister of foreign affairs and trade, said in Sarajevo on Thursday.
“Brussels is prepared to finance anything that increases migration pressure but fails to support anything that would protect European citizens from this threat,” Szijjarto told a regional ministerial conference of Sarajevo Migration Dialogue.
The Western Balkans is in a special situation, with migrants arriving there from one European Union member state and heading for other member states, he said.
“It is high time that the European Commission supports Western Balkans countries in defending themselves — hence us, too — from migration pressure,” he said.
Szijjarto called for advances in the EU accession process of the countries in question, saying that “lack of stability and security in the Western Balkans runs counter to our national security interests.”
Hungary continues to insist on its right to decide whom it does and does not allow to enter its territory, the minister said.
One of the greatest achievements of Visegrad cooperation, he said, was that the four countries had unanimously rejected the mandatory migrant resettlement quotas.
Szijjarto said that the Hungarian authorities have registered about 100,000 attempts to cross the country’s border illegally this year. He warned that migration pressure would probably increase as 30,000 to 35,000 Afghan citizens a day leave their homeland.
The Western Balkans is in a special situation, with migrants arriving there from one European Union member state and heading for other member states, he said.
“It is high time that the European Commission supports Western Balkans countries in defending themselves — hence us, too — from migration pressure,” he said.
Szijjarto called for advances in the EU accession process of the countries in question, saying that “lack of stability and security in the Western Balkans runs counter to our national security interests.”
Hungary continues to insist on its right to decide whom it does and does not allow to enter its territory, the minister said.
One of the greatest achievements of Visegrad cooperation, he said, was that the four countries had unanimously rejected the mandatory migrant resettlement quotas.
Szijjarto said that the Hungarian authorities have registered about 100,000 attempts to cross the country’s border illegally this year. He warned that migration pressure would probably increase as 30,000 to 35,000 Afghan citizens a day leave their homeland.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
